Of the five World Heritage sites in Queensland, two are located in Tropical North Queensland and provide
the region with its key iconic experiences. However, not all tourists visit these sites. This paper seeks to identify
the reasons why a significant number of tourists do not visit these sites. Based on a survey of departing domestic
and international visitors at Cairns domestic airport throughout 2007, this study identifies the visitor segment who
do not visit the region's major natural attractions. Findings indicate that 22.4% of respondents did not visit the Wet
Tropics rainforest while 29.1% did not visit the Great Barrier Reef. The key reason for not visiting the rainforest
was a lack of time (53%), also the key reason for not visiting the reef (33%), followed by having been before
(21%). This study highlights the importance of on‐going monitoring of trends and patterns, as the tourism industry
seeks to diversify its products in a natural environment increasingly threatened from extractive industries and faced
with climate change issues.